Child Hit at School Bus Stop; Driver Accused of Ignoring Stop Signals

A 7-year-old girl is in stable condition at Arnold Palmer Children's Hospital in Orlando after being struck by a car at her bus stop Wednesday morning.

By PHIL ATTINGERLEDGER MEDIA GROUP

HAINES CITY | A 7-year-old girl is in stable condition at Arnold Palmer Children's Hospital in Orlando after being struck by a car at her bus stop Wednesday morning.Vanessa Perez of Haines City was propelled several feet in the air and landed on the pavement. Officials say she is expected to recover.Glenn McCarthy, 45, of 308 Anchovie Court in Kissimmee is charged with willful and wanton reckless driving. He also has been cited for not stopping for a school bus.Reports say McCarthy was heading easton Johnson Avenue at 7:15 a.m. A westbound school bus had stopped with lights flashing and stop signal arm deployed at the intersection of Ellison Parkway.McCarthy's Caravan drove past the stopped school bus and struck Vanessa, who was crossing the eastbound lanes to get to the bus, reports say.Forty to 50 children on the school bus were transported to their respective schools after deputies interviewed them.The investigation is still open, Sheriff's Office reports said.Vanessa was en route to Davenport School of the Arts.Sheriff Grady Judd said in a news release that Vanessa's survival is "a miracle" and said he was praying for her swift recovery."We can't stress it enough: You must obey traffic safety devices," Judd said. "They are there for a reason — to keep our children safe."The Polk County School District had planned to put cameras on school bus stop signal arms next month to help record the license plates of people who pass stopped school buses.Redflex Traffic Systems Inc., was to install trial cameras on three buses at no cost to the district. That plan is delayed, however, pending an investigation by district officials into the company's alleged involvement in a bribery scheme in Chicago.Rob Davis, senior director of support services, said he is talking to other camera vendors to replace Redflex.This is the first time in his 15 years in the transportation department that a student has been hit when the stop arm on the school bus was deployed, Davis said.The bus driver, George Roberson, has been placed on administrative leave. Roberson has been a bus driver since 2008 and was recognized last year for perfect attendance."He's a good driver who witnessed a terrible thing," Davis said.The district also sent grief counselors for the other students who witnessed the incident. In addition to Davenport School of the Arts, the bus was carrying students to Bethune Academy and Jenkins Academy.

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